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Review
. 2015:112:383-414.
doi: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2014.11.027. Epub 2015 Feb 11.

Cell adhesion in epidermal development and barrier formation

Kaelyn D Sumigray  1 , Terry Lechler  2
Affiliations
Review

Cell adhesion in epidermal development and barrier formation

Kaelyn D Sumigray et al. Curr Top Dev Biol. 2015.

Abstract

Cell-cell adhesions are necessary for structural integrity and barrier formation of the epidermis. Here, we discuss insights from genetic and cell biological studies into the roles of individual cell-cell junctions and their composite proteins in regulating epidermal development and function. In addition to individual adhesive functions, we will discuss emerging ideas on mechanosensation/transduction of junctions in the epidermis, noncanonical roles for adhesion proteins, and crosstalk/interdependencies between the junctional systems. These studies have revealed that cell adhesion proteins are connected to many aspects of tissue physiology including growth control, differentiation, and inflammation.

Keywords: Adherens junction; Adhesion; Barrier; Cytoskeleton; Desmosome; Epidermis; Skin; Tight junction.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Periderm function in the embryo. The periderm is found on top of the embryonic epidermis where it forms tight junctions. In the absence of periderm, suprabasal epithelial cells are competent to interact with other cells, resulting in epidermal sheet fusions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Model for collaboration of cell–cell adhesions to generate a functional barrier. See text for details.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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